Bittersweet Scent
by Bratworth
Summary: An 'alternate universe', where if Diego didn't go into a coma. However, Dahlia would still have her ways of complicating and causing problems for both Diego and Mia... /Miego.
1. Chapter 1: Tainted Coffee

I wanted to play around with the idea 'if Diego didn't go into a coma'. Except, I wanted there to be more to it than just that, so here it begins! Hope you enjoy! UWU

**I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney Series.**

* * *

Walking into the Grossberg & Co law offices, Mia looked around. She felt something was off the moment she walked in, and sure enough… neither Grossberg nor Diego were there. It was strange, since usually one of the two would be here, but at the moment, neither of the two were in their offices.

Putting down some files she brought in, Mia heard someone clearing their throat loudly. Immediately, she knew it had to be Grossberg. Sure enough, it was the large man walking into the room.

"Mr. Grossberg!" She walked over to him, "Um… where's Mr. Armando?"

"Hmm? Ah, well… you see, I'm sure it's as you probably already expect. He's gathering things to get ready for his questioning of Dahlia Hawthorne. Which is tomorrow." He dryly informed her, soon after going to sit down at his desk.

She wished that wasn't the case, but he was right; she already knew and didn't even need to ask. Diego may be carefree and laidback, but he was incredibly serious about his work. It was expected he'd be busy with this, since he was increasingly suspicious of Dahlia. The same was for Mia, but Diego said he could handle this on his own. Once he made up his mind, there was no stopping him…

With a sigh, Mia returned to her own desk now. "Sheesh, that guy… he's probably taking in ten times his usual coffee amount because of it." She blankly stared at papers, while messing with a pen. She was pretty concerned for Diego. Mia knew full well that Dahlia was a dangerous woman… what if she tried to pull something there?

Before she could worry anymore, her cell phone rang. "This is Grossberg & Co law offices, how can I help you?"

"Ah, Kitten? I guess I accidentally dialed your phone number instead of Mr. Grossberg's."

Mia could hear the man chuckle after saying so, and sighed. "Is there anything _I_ can help with?" She didn't mean to sound so dry and cut throat, but with stress building up as it is, politeness wasn't the first thing on her mind when talking with Diego.

Diego was unaffected by the attorney's demeanor. "No need to sound so angry, Kitten. I just realized I forgot one of my mugs there, so I was calling to let him know I was stopping by to get it, is all."

He forgot one of his precious coffee mugs? Amazing for him; tomorrow must really be weighing on his mind to cause that.

"Oh, I see." She paused as seconds went by, but picked the conversation back up soon. "…well, how about I go to your place and drop it off? I mean, you're busy and all, and coming would just use up your time."

Silence loomed, as if Diego was thinking about her offer. "…Kitten, it's not like I'm cramming anything. I can do it, but if you really want to, then come on over."

"Alright, I'll be there as quickly as possible." It wasn't like she was doing much work anyway. After the two said their goodbyes, Mia informed Grossberg that she would be leaving for the day early, leaving with the mug Diego left behind.

Making it to her mentor's apartment, Mia firmly knocked on the door twice. It didn't take but a minute for Diego to greet and let her inside.

"Thanks, kitten." Diego said grabbing the cup he was handed. "Since you took the trouble to come all this way, why not stay for a little?"

Mia shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'm sure you're busy and all." She glanced back at the older attorney, noticing his piercing stare. "…but if you insist, though."

The two were sort of... dating now, so Mia figured nothing would be wrong with staying. But, she noticed that Diego looked pretty worn out. Those two's 'talk' tomorrow; he was making sure to be prepared. Who knew what good it would even do him, but although he didn't look it, Diego was a cautious man.

"…are you sure you want to go tomorrow? Could I at least come?"

Something was nagging at her. The very thought of 'tomorrow' kept bugging the attorney, to the point she felt nauseous. When Mia got worried, it was usually for a reason. Being a spirit medium enhanced these feelings, she supposed.

He shook his head. "You worry far too much. I can handle myself, kitten, you know? Besides, it's just an interview; we'll be in the cafeteria where people will be. I don't think that little kitten could pull anything there."

Mia still wasn't convinced. Far from it, actually. He underestimated that woman… she probably had many tricks in that demonic head of hers. Bothering him about it would bring nothing good though. She didn't come to stress him out anymore.

"…Alright. We should probably stop talking about it." She smiled slightly, "Would it be okay if I picked you up tomorrow, when you're done talking with her?"

"Hm?" He looked back up at the young attorney after taking a small sip of his coffee he'd been drinking. "If you want, although I've heard your driving isn't exactly top notch." He said, in a teasing tone.

She stood up with an embarrassed look on her face. "H-Hey! Who told you that!?"

"Just your kitten friend, Lana told me once."

She sat back down, mumbling something under her breath about how she only drove Lana one time before. Diego looked at his watch, noticing the time. "Huh, it's gotten late pretty quick. Time sure flies when you're busy."

"Oh, I should probably leave you now, then." Mia told him, grabbing her bag. Diego walked over to the door with her. Stopping suddenly, Mia glanced back over at the man. "…Promise me you'll be careful tomorrow, alright?"

Staring at Mia with a look of surprise, his expression soon softened. "I'll be fine. Now, don't stress yourself out, worrywart."

Although her expression was still one with concern, she smiled at him before exiting the apartment. Sighing, Diego knew Mia was way more worried than he was. He didn't want her to worry any longer; he wanted to get tomorrow over with. He was confident that even if Dahlia was going to do something there, he could outwit her.

* * *

It was early in the morning, and Mia found herself awake. She had trouble sleeping, which she figured she would. She was angry at herself for letting this get to her; it was no big deal. What if nothing happened? She would just look like a fool.

Getting up, she got ready and went out. Although there was work today, there was no real reason for her to go. It's not like she was accepting any cases, ever since _that_ one. Maybe she should go and see Lana; it might help clear her mind.

* * *

Diego sat in the building a couple of minutes early. He wasn't going to make a lady wait for him, after all. He had a coffee on the table, one he had gotten before he sat down. Now all he had to do was wait for the star guest to arrive.

Right on time, she appeared. Just as he remembered her; that bold red hair, and that pure white dress. Dahlia Hawthorne was looking as innocent as ever.

Sitting across from the man, she smiled at him. "Good morning, Mister Diego Armando. To what do I owe this little 'chat' you wanted?"

"Hello to you too, little lady." Diego said back, a small smirk on his lips. He wasn't pleased to see her of course, but he couldn't help but smile. Now things were finally beginning. "I'm sure you must know. I called you here because I want to discuss… a case from not too long ago."

"I'm sorry… but which case?"

Of course he realized she knew which. Still, he played along with her 'acting dumb'. "The one about the death of Valerie Hawthorne."

She looked downward at the response. "…Oh, that one. I'd much rather forget about that case… I lost two people dear to me, you know…?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to speak about it though; it's why you're here." His tone was cut and dry, although he didn't mean to sound that way. "Let's bring up some basics about that case, shall we?"

Dahlia scowled at the man very slightly, to which it was almost unnoticeable. She knew this guy was there with that lawyer Mia Fey during the case. However, he was only there as an assistant. Where did he get the nerve to bring up more of a case he wasn't that much a part of?

"Terry Fawles was accused of the murder of Valerie Hawthorne. Years earlier, he was sentenced to death for 'killing' you. He was framed then, and was once more. While in court that day, you became a suspect, and your identity was revealed." He took a break for tiny moment, drinking his coffee before continuing. "Terry Fawles took the stand after you did, and he continually covered up for you. He even drank poison because he believed in you, but not himself. Now… isn't that highly suspicious?"

She titled her head in confusion, "I'm… afraid I don't follow."

He put down one of the papers he was holding, and stared directly in the girl's eyes that appeared crimson. "You made some kind of promise with him. 'If one begins to doubt the other, they must drink poison'. Who makes that kind of promise innocently…? I believe if one truly loved someone, they wouldn't make them risk their life like that."

"You don't understand, Mr. Armando. It's_ because_ I loved him that we—"

"I'm not finished. Years later, that promise comes into play when you're suspected. He began to become suspicious of you… and drank the poison. With that, the case was closed, believing he killed Valerie. You were off the hook."

She frowned, while Diego spoke again. "My point being? You did kill Valerie Hawthorne. And ever since all those years ago you made the promise, you planned to kill him if the time fit."

Dahlia's frown grew. "Mr. Armando… I understand that you firmly believe this. But where's your evidence? And I mean definitive, proof."

Actual proof, huh…? Diego scoured through the papers he brought for a moment, but then it hit him. Did he actually have any irrefutable evidence? One that could prove it all? He thought this would be enough; how stupid was that!?

She smiled while he continued to skim through the papers. "Your 'fantasies' are all very nice, but if you can't prove it, then…"

He ignored her. He cursed himself in his head; how dumb was he? He was so concerned on just getting this over with; all his planning and cautiousness came to nothing in the end. There… was no evidence right now. He wasn't through though. If he could get her to spill something out, then…

"Oh well." He muttered, putting back some of the papers into a suitcase. "I apologize for that, Ms. Hawthorne."

"I-It's alright." She sweetly smiled back. "I suppose I'm used to being accused… the police have questioned me a couple times after all, since that case." She looked back at him, directly in the eyes. "Since we're here, want to talk about something else? I know this is supposed to be an 'interview' or something of the sort, but…"

What was she playing at? What would they even talk about? What, were they going to talk about hobbies or what food they like? This wasn't some kind of date! Despite his thoughts, he slumped back in his seat, coffee in hand. "Sure, why not?"

"O-Oh, good! So, Mr. Armando… I was wondering. What is that defense attorney to you?"

"…Mia Fey?"

Dahlia nodded. "Yes, her. I was wondering since you were there with her… but I noticed, after the case had ended, you were comforting her more than I think a simple assistant would."

He was silent. He'd much rather not tell her his relationship with Mia, so he thought to perhaps lie about it. "So you like to spy, do you kitten?"

"Oh, I'm sorry…! It's just, when I was leaving, I caught sight of you two, and…"

He crossed his arms, and grinned. "There's nothing to our relationship, really. I'm her mentor, is all. She was hurt pretty badly in that case… so it was my job to help her pick up her feet."

"Is that really all?" She asked. "It seemed like more to it, if you ask me."

"I assure you, that's all." Now if only she'd just drop the damn subject. "What about you? Seeing someone?" After asking that, he feared that this sounded… off.

The red head nodded once more at the question, "Oh, yes. He's a pharmacology student, who attends the same college as I do. He's really a sweet guy." She finished, smiling.

_Pharmacology…_

Suddenly, a thought popped up in Diego's head. "…Hey… how did you and Terry Fawles even get poison in the first place? One, an inmate. And the other merely a student."

Her eyes widened. "Mr. Armando? I was only 14 years old when we made that promise… if you're thinking I somehow got poison, there's no way."

"Yes, but what if you got that poison recently, and put it in a place where he could get it? You said your boyfriend is a pharmacology student? He could very well have access to poisons."

"…Mr. Armando, are you still trying to pin all of that on me?" She feigned innocence, tears welling up in her eyes.

His eyes didn't falter as he continued, "Do I look like I'm joking? Ms. Hawthorne, I don't let criminals go free."

"Aren't you a defense attorney…? I'm sure you all save criminals half— no, _most_ the time." Her tone was a bit too forceful that time, she realized, beginning to soften it. "I-I mean… isn't that just you people's job…?"

He shook his head, "Kitten, I assure you. I'm not a defense attorney to save criminals hides. I'm one to defend those who are innocent, and that's all."

"I… see… but that lawyer woman. She's one of _those_ kinds of attorneys though. She was trying to save Terry, who threw me off the bridge!"

Was she accusing Mia of being a defense attorney who rescues _criminals_? He wasn't having that; without thinking, he slammed his hand onto the desk. "Don't talk about Mia as if you know the first thing about her."

He could have said numerous things to that, but this was not the place, and he still didn't want to give her even a hint of their relationship. He might have accidentally now, though.

Dahlia's expression was of surprise, but inside, she was laughing. He just gave her more than what she needed right now… an inkling of _weakness _of sorts. Diego quickly regained his composure, and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. That… didn't go well.

"…It's just wrong to speak ill of those you don't know, kitten." He began to grin a little bit now, "Anyway, there are still things I wish to ask you about. Is it… alright if I take up more of your time?"

Mentally rolling her eyes, Dahlia agreed anyway. "Um, sure. First though, do you know what time it is…?"

Diego glanced at the clock on the wall "About 11:30."

"That time already? I usually have lunch now…"

_Well, sorry 'princess' for ruining your lunchtime schedule._ He thought in an irritated tone.

"You see, when I get hungry, I can't think all that well…"

Diego stood up, thinking there was no choice but to buy her something. They were in a cafeteria, so getting it would be no problem. "...Want me to buy you something?"

She profusely shook her head, "Oh, no! I couldn't let you…"

"I'm a gentleman. I can't let a lady starve, can I? Just wait here, okay?"

With that, the man walked away from the table. Dahlia smirked; finally, this was the perfect chance. She sneakily took off the necklace she was wearing, and took the bottle off it. She opened it, and poured some kind of liquid into Diego's coffee he had left behind.

This poison… it wasn't deadly; she decided that would have been no fun, if he would just die. Instead, this poison was something more special. Some just for the attorney who was causing her trouble… she was going to pay him back in full.


	2. Chapter 2: Scent of Mistakes

Thanks to those who have taken an interest in this story! And thank you to those who have reviewed! I really appreciate them!

So, here's the next chapter! Again, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney series.**

* * *

The woman in the white dress waited for the defense attorney to come back. Once he had, he'd eventually be greeted by a rude surprise.

After minutes had gone by, Diego returned to the table, with some kind of fast food in hand. Handing it over to her, he apologized, "Sorry it's this type of food. There wasn't much else that would be quick." One couldn't tell by his tone, but he was angry about buying this woman anything at all.

"Thank you, Mr. Armando." Dahlia sweetly grinned while taking it from him. She took small bites, while eyeing the man who sat back down. Any minute now, he was sure to take a sip of that coffee.

He slumped in his seat, and began to sift through some of his papers again. Once he realized none of it really was going to do him any good, he put them back inside the bag once more. He quietly sighed, and picked up his coffee mug.

Dahlia perked up right away, noticing. One sip. That was all it would take, for this certain 'poison' to take effect. The woman's gaze didn't go unnoticed; Diego suspiciously glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking.

He knew it was useless to wonder though, since he would never be able to understand what goes on in a head like hers. He moved the mug over to his lips, ready to drink his coffee. Once he had… the attorney thought it tasted different. Something was off about the sip this time, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

There was no more time left for thinking though. Mere seconds later, Diego began to feel awfully strange. His hands were shaking, and his stomach began to ache, as well as cramp up.

_Wh-What the hell is going on? I'm not sick or anything, so why… _With that last thought, it hit him. Did that witch put something inside his coffee while he was away!? Looking over at the red head, it was soon clear that 'hunch' was right.

Dahlia Hawthorne was _smiling_, as he struggled to stand up. His legs began to shake now as well, and he couldn't keep his legs from wobbling. This was bad… really bad. After all his efforts, his attempts at being cautious… was it all going to come to nothing in the end?

"My, my… Mr. Armando, you aren't looking so good. Are you alright?"

He rolled his eyes as she spoke. Did he_ look_ okay? He knew she was still trying to put up her 'nice' act, which only served to make him more frustrated. Diego tried to speak, but each time, his 'words' only came out as soft, quiet mumbles that were inaudible.

Finally able to stand up properly, Diego kept his hands on the table for support. He glared at Dahlia and tried to talk again. This time, it finally worked, although his voice sounded off. "Y-You…! What did you put inside my coffee…!?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about…?"

He punched the table, which then caused him to lose balance. Falling to his knees, his cold stare remained on Dahlia. "Don't… play dumb. You put something in there, and when I drank it… my body started to act up!"

Before saying anything back, Dahlia looked around. Luckily for her, nobody was around this table; not enough to hear them at the moment, anyway. She kneeled down to Diego's level and smirked. "Of course you figured it out. You'd have to be pretty stupid to not have. Oh well, though… a bit late now anyway. You should have been more careful, Mr. Attorney."

"Shut up…! It's not too late. I-I'll go and tell somebody…" As his sentence trailed off, he tried to move. Unfortunately, he then realized his legs felt numb. He couldn't move no matter how hard he tried. "Shit…"

Dahlia giggled; watching this man in that kind of state was very entertaining. It made all the hassle she'd been through worth it. Beginning to walk off now, she turned to look at Diego once more. "I better leave. This is goodbye for now, Mr. Armando."

He weakly watched as he she left. His eyesight was starting to fade, and now he was coughing. Diego couldn't register what she meant by 'for now', but at the moment, it all honestly didn't matter to him. Closing his eyes, his thoughts wandered to Mia. Was she still waiting for him to call her? He was kind of glad she wasn't here though; he wouldn't want her to see him in this pathetic state.

Soon enough, he fell down. Finally, a worker there noticed the man who was lying in the corner, behind one of the tables. Rushing over, he called for help. It didn't take long for the whole building to be in a panic.

* * *

Sitting down at her desk at Grossberg & Co Law Offices, Mia fiddled with her pen. Turns out Lana was busy with some kind of work, so she couldn't go see her. Even though she was at work now after all, she was just passing time until Diego called to pick him up.

A sigh escaped her mouth as she rested her head onto the desk. It was then she heard Grossberg get a phone call. Curious to what it was, she ventured over there to listen. The call started out typical enough. However, Grossberg's tone soon changed.

From what she could hear, he sounded nervous and shocked. Leaning over more to listen, she saw he hung up the phone with a distressed look on his face. She stood up straight and casually walked over to her boss, acting as if she hadn't been trying to listen to his phonecall.

"Mr. Grossberg? Is something wrong…?" She cautiously asked him, pretending she came over to get some coffee.

He cleared his throat while turning to look at her. This time, she could clearly see the look of worry on his face. "Ah, well… you see, something happened at the courthouse cafeteria. Where Diego is."

In a mere second, Mia's expression turned. It was full of surprise and concern. Mia didn't know _what _happened there yet, but judging Grossberg's own reaction, she knew it had to be something pretty bad.

"…What… what happened?"

"I'm not too sure on the details. All I know is that Diego, he… he got poisoned."

Mia fearfully gulped. Poisoned!? No. That couldn't be… is he alright? How bad was the poison? Where is he right now? So many questions in the blink of an eye, and Mia couldn't bring herself to ask any. Not that she'd expect any answers at the moment.

Rushing over to the door, she was stopped by Grossberg's hand on her shoulder. "Where are you going? If you do go there… what would you do?"

"I… I'm not sure. But I'm going anyway." With that, Mia exited the door, and quickly got into her car. _Besides, I told him I'd pick him up._

* * *

Arriving at her destination, Mia wasted no time getting out of the car and rushing into the building. All of the cops were a bit inconvenient, but that wasn't about to stop her.

"Ex-Excuse me?" She called out to one of the cops there, looking around nervously.

"Do you need something? As you can see, we're pretty busy—"

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering, where's Diego—I mean, the one who got poisoned?" After saying that, she wondered if she could have worded that better. Her mind was already fuzzy though.

The cop looking in a bit of a hurry, quickly answered her. "I'm not aware of his condition but I believe he's being taken to a hospital as we speak." Once he finished his sentence he began to walk away before looking at Mia again. "Now if you'll excuse me. We're busy checking everyone here, so you'll need to stay away."

Mia deeply sighed while turning away. If Diego was no longer here, then it's not like she could do much. As she was getting back in the car, a thought suddenly came to her. Dahlia Hawthorne… was she still here? _She_ must have done it!

Running back inside the building, she was stopped by a couple of officers, but informed them she's a public defense attorney and had business here. Luckily they believed her; all this panic probably helped.

_Now, where could she be…!? Tell me she hasn't escaped._

While frantically searching, someone suddenly called out to her.

"Mia! Is that you?"

That voice… she instantly knew who it was. It was Lana Skye, her friend. Turning around, Mia was confirmed to be right, as expected. Why was she here though?

Lana smiled. "So it _is_ you. Why are you here? It might still be a bit dangerous here until we've thoroughly looked around."

Oh, it now made sense why Lana was here, being an investigator and all that. Trying to hide her actual emotions, Mia tried to sound as professional as she could right now. "Well, the victim…" She bit her lips at thinking of Diego as the victim. "I work where they work, and as a defense attorney, I thought I should search around myself."

It was then Lana gasped, "Oh no… I'm so sorry, Mia. I just realized, that well… your boyfriend was the one who got poisoned, wasn't he?"

"…Please, don't apologize." Mia muttered back, looking away. _After all… he'll be fine, right? _

Nodding, Lana began to walk away, Mia following. The investigator's voice quickly went back to formal, yet stern. "I've done my fair share of getting to know what happened. Any questions, ask me, alright?"

Mia was a bit caught off guard with that, but this was no time to be impressed. She complied. "Well, do you know where Ms. Hawthorne is?"

"Hawthorne…? Oh, the one who Mr. Armando was questioning?" She asked, even though she knew. Lana continued, "She was checked like all of the others, to see if there was even a trace of poison on her. I'd think she's being questioned at the precinct right now."

"Did they find anything on her?"

Lana shook her head, "No. She was completely clean."

That couldn't be. Mia had no doubt in her mind that she was the one who did it. But how could she get away, and hide the container for the poison? This was going to take some time to figure out, wasn't it.

"I'll ask more later, but could I ask where the hospital Diego's at is?"

* * *

Making it to the hospital Lana told her about, she was allowed to go and see Diego. However, at the moment, they were still running tests, and weren't aware of his exact condition. Sitting in the waiting room, she'd only hoped this poison wasn't fatal.

_Diego, you dummy. You told me nothing would happen and you'd be fine…_

* * *

Everything was dark. His eyes were open, and yet he could barely see anything. He wasn't in the right mind to think, so he only began to listen to what he doctors were saying.

"Doctor, we got some results back. This is… a really strange situation."

"What is it?"

"Well, the poison doesn't seem to be doing anything to his health. He should be back to normal in an hour."

Diego could hear one of them messing with some papers. Although he couldn't see them, he knew they were just as confused as he is about this.

"…could this be some kind of poison we don't know about?"

"Can it even classify as poison at this point? And, are we even sure it was poison to begin with?"

"It was definitely some kind of poison."

Before he could overhear anymore, Diego had blacked out for some time; he wasn't sure how long, but when he woke up, none of the doctors were in the room any longer. It was then he realized he could see again.

Sitting up, he frantically looked around the room. How long was he like this? What even happened to him? What about Mia…

Diego then heard the door open. Looking over, he saw it was the person he both wanted to see, yet not see. Mia Fey. He really didn't want her to see him like this.

"Diego!" Mia yelled in relief, running to his side. "I'm… so glad you're alright…!" She mumbled, tears forming in her eyes.

He smiled warmly at her while pulling the younger attorney closer to him. He wasn't sure what to say, so he only kept her near him as she cried. All the tears Mia had been holding back started to come out.

"…Sorry for worrying you." He finally whispered as a minute or two had gone by. Mia began to regain her composure now, and rubbed her eyes.

Coughing to clear her throat, Mia stood up and moved away from Diego. "I… would have a million things to scold you about on this, but…" She looked him right in the eyes while continuing, "What exactly happened?"

She wanted to hear more if he was completely alright, but the doctor's already said nothing is serious as far as his health is concerned. Odd, but at least it gave her relief. For now, she needed to know more about what went on for this to happen.

He looked downward, trying to avoid any eye contact with her. He didn't blame her for being a bit angry with him; he was the one all confident about being able to avoid anything that witch could pull. "Let's see. I was sitting with her at one of the tables, one in the back. Not really a smart move, now that I think about it."

Mia could hear a hint of self-loathing in his tone. "Don't be too hard on yourself." She quietly muttered, him unable to hear.

"I questioned and asked her things regarding that case, as planned." He made sure to avoid saying that he didn't have a shred of evidence to prove anything. "…eventually, she said she was hungry, so I left briefly to get her something. Once I came back, she was eating of course, and then… I took a sip of my coffee."

"That time you left must have been when she slipped in the poison." Mia said before he could. "…You know, Lana told me they couldn't find any kind of container for the poison on her."

He laughed, not sounding surprised. "They'll let her go then. Without evidence, it's pointless."

"We've got to do something though! We can't just… they can't let her go when she was the one who did it!" Mia shouted back, forgetting they were in a hospital. _If I let her go after another crime again… I can't allow that._

"I know how you feel kitten." He rested his head back onto the pillow while looking over at her, "…but you know, I am like _this_ right now. So, we can't do anything at the moment."

She nodded. "You're right." With a sigh, Mia sat down on a seat next to the bed Diego was on. Grabbing his hand, she tightly squeezed it. "You need to concentrate on getting back to a hundred percent better. Although… you already look just fine to me."

"It's awfully strange, isn't it? That poison was affecting me –especially at first— but now I feel perfectly okay." Talking about whatever kind of poison that was, made Diego uneasy. He wasn't sure why though; maybe it was just the fact that it could have been fatal. "If that woman was going to do anything, why wouldn't she use a poison that would kill me?"

Mia looked down, clutching onto his hand more. The thought alone of losing Diego hurt badly. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. Not until he got out of the hospital anyway. "…Once you're out of here, want to go somewhere? I-I mean, only if you want to of course!"

Diego was surprised, but happy she asked him that. Normally, _he'd_ be the one asking. "Kitten, you have to ask? Of course."

With a smile on her face, Mia let go of her boyfriend's hand, now standing up. "You look kind of weak. Have you eaten anything?"

"I don't have much of an appetite." He dryly told her, gripping onto the sheets near his stomach. "…the doctors will be coming back in soon. You should probably go home and take it easy, kitten."

"…Fine." She said back with an irritated tone. She wasn't going to argue with him, but of course he was more exhausted than she was. It bothered her that he tried to act otherwise. Why did he have to be so darn prideful? Going by the door, she glanced back him once more before saying 'bye'.

Exiting the hospital, she was greeted by Lana, who was waiting by her car. "Oh, Lana!"

"Did they let you see him?" The investigator asked, already knowing his condition is fine.

Mia nodded. "Uh-huh. It wasn't long, but that's okay. He'll be out soon enough anyway." She then looked over at Lana with a grin, but also confused look. "So, why are you here? Aren't you still busy?"

"Well, I was able to leave early. There are some things I should tell you about."

The two went back to Mia's apartment to talk. The attorney already knew what she wanted to tell her most likely had to do with the 'incident'.

"Dahlia Hawthorne was let free. That's because… nobody could find the container for the poison. You already suspected that would happen though, didn't you?"

Mia bit her lip, scowling. Of course she thought that would happen, but it didn't make it any less angering. "…Yes, I did." Leaning against the wall, Mia closed her eyes. "To think that they're letting her go twice after a crime… it's just unforgivable."

"What are you going to do, Mia? Will you to try and get her convicted even if she's been more or less 'cleared'?"

Standing straighter than before, Mia narrowed her eyes while keeping a determined look. "Of course. As a lawyer, there's got to be _something_ I can do, to bring her to justice."

Everything in the room got quiet after that, Lana smiling slightly at Mia's answer. Her strong will and determination always were some of the attorney's good points. Lana looked over at the window, noticing how dark it was getting. "Well, I must admit it's kind of a relief to hear you say that... However, please remember to be careful with whatever you do. You always can be a bit reckless, you know?" She smirked, saying that in a teasing tone.

Hearing that, Mia's face turned to a shade of red. "Lana! I-I'm a professional, I don't get reckless with this kind of…"

Lana lightly chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. Alright, well, I'll be leaving for now. See you, Mia."

* * *

It was soon the next morning, Mia having got a bit better sleep than the night before, but still not as much as she should be getting. She went over to the hospital as soon as she could and dashed into Diego's room.

"Hey, Diego—"

Her sentence abruptly stopped as soon as she realized Diego wasn't in the room. Looking over in a perplexed manner, she wondered if he was already let out…?

One of the doctors entered the room, surprised to see Mia inside. "Oh, hello. You're Mr. Armando's girlfriend, right?"

She nodded, "Oh um, yes. Could you tell me where he is right now?"

"Didn't he tell you? He was admitted out of here earlier. There were no signs of danger to his health system, so he was let out. Although, he has to come for a checkup every two weeks."

_What…!?_

Mia couldn't hide the utter surprise and aggravation from her face. He didn't even tell her!? Why would he hide that from her?

"Thank you, doctor…!" She weakly smiled before quickly walking outside the room. _I don't believe that guy. How could he not tell me, especially after how worried I was!? Honestly, he's such a…!_

Mia stopped her thoughts once she made it outside of the bleak building, seeing Diego waiting for her by her car. A fleeting moment of happiness rushed over her at the sight of him, but anger soon took over. A frown was firmly placed on her, as she walked over to the car.

"Yo, kitten! You—" He stopped, catching onto how Mia made sure to not look in his direction as she got into the car. "Hey, what's up?" He asked her, now sitting beside the woman.

She rolled her eyes._ Oh, nothing. Just the fact you somehow forgot to tell me you were admitted out of the hospital today!_

Mia continued to give him the silent treatment, only crossing her arms while staring straight across. Diego raised an eyebrow while looking at her. "Hey, come on. Did I do something? You sure know how to give a warm welcome, don't you?" He sarcastically said.

That was enough to cause Mia to say something. "Oh, _excuse_ me. I wouldn't be in a bad mood if you'd just told me you were getting out of the hospital today!"

"Huh? I tried to call you. Didn't you get my message?"

Mia froze, hearing that. Did he actually? He looked like he was being genuinely honest with her. Looking at her phone though, she didn't see any missed calls or messages. She glared right back at him again.

"What? Kitten, you've got to believe me. I know I did…" He quietly muttered the last part, staring down at the ground with a perplexing look.

Staring directly at him, Mia used her magatama; she couldn't see any psyche-locks though, meaning he wasn't hiding anything from her. She let out a breath of air, smiling now. "Alright already, I believe you. Er, sorry for… doubting you."

"No worries. What would a good looking guy like me gain from telling a petty lie like that anyway?" He boasted, smirking.

She rolled her eyes once again, but was actually strangely relieved to hear that. He was still acting like himself, which was a good thing.

While Mia remained in a sweetly glad mood now, Diego wasn't as much. Maybe he did forget to send her a message and just thought he did. It shouldn't be a big deal to him, but the thought was nagging him now. Why though?


	3. Chapter 3: Order Please

Notes: I'm thinking of making the chapters just a little bit shorter than before to get them out sooner. Anyway, as always, thank you for the reviews and those interested in the story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney series.**

* * *

"Diego, where do you want to go?"

Mia's question caught Diego slightly offguard. While they were driving, he'd just been staring out the window dazed, not thinking much of anything.

His 'little pupil' glanced over at the man for a second before looking back at the road. "We should celebrate you being okay, right?"

"Oh, right. I guess so, but it's no big deal." He shrugged.

She dug her elbow into him slightly while sighing. "Come on, don't be so proud." _Or whatever it is you'd call that. _She briefly thought before continuing, "I don't care what you think, we're going to anyway. Besides, you need to lighten up right now."

"Ha…! Kitten, I think you're the one who needs to—"

Once again, she just nudged her elbow at him with a tiny glare. "You deserve a break, okay?" She quietly mumbled, enough for him to hear.

He scratched the back of his head, thinking about what she's said. It was true; he really needed to stop thinking about all that's happened so much. He smiled at Mia; he may not be showing it too much, but he really did appreciate what she's said. "…Alright then! Let's go somewhere to eat. I could really use a sandwich or anything savory."

Mia nodded, grinning right back at him. Deciding on a place to go to, they stopped at a somewhat fancy restaurant, but one that wasn't too much. It needed to be a place with affordable prices for the two lawyers, after all.

* * *

The red haired woman walked outside of a building, getting her umbrella out. Dahlia had just now been finally released of questioning. With that, she was finally let free, and suspicions were cleared. It was far too easy for her.

Walking away, she thought about what now had to be done. Although she's certainly accomplished something from this, a new obstacle was in the way. That obstacle was the thing that allowed her to hide the container for the poison, but for now she'd think about that later.

Diego Armando was on her mind. She had plenty in store for him, but what course of action should she take at the moment? Many choices played around in her head. Finally, one clicked; she may as well start out with a warm up for the lawyer who butt his nose into business he shouldn't have.

* * *

After an hour or so, Mia and Diego had finished their meal and were walking outside the building now.

"So, did you enjoy your food?" She asked him, leaning slightly to get a better view of his expression.

Walking side by side with her, Diego stared at ground as he answered. "I've had better."

"Oh, excuse me for not taking you to some classy, expensive restaurant!" She scoffed, looking away from the man now. That was brief though, as she soon looked back after a few seconds. "…Hey, how come you didn't order a coffee like usual?"

Not only just 'a' coffee. He'd always order two or more when they went out, plus he normally brought some with him to-go. Today she hadn't seen him take a sip. Although he seemed a bit troubled to say why, Diego's grin remained. "Good question, kitten. Being your mentor though, I'm sure you can put the pieces together and figure out why."

She puffed her cheeks. "Or you could just tell me, you know. I find it hard to believe someone who's as addicted to that stuff as you would go a day or so without it."

As he opened his mouth to make a remark back, his cell phone rang. "Hey, Mr. Grossberg, what is it?"

_Mr. Grossberg? He knows we both took the day off._

"Kitten, why don't you go wait in the car?" Diego whispered while leaning close to her ear.

Reluctantly, she agreed. Mia wondered maybe if there was some reason he didn't want her to listen? …No, she was probably just overthinking it. After all, Diego sounded fine from what she heard, so it was probably about nothing serious.

As she waited, she decided she may as well try to solve the 'coffee" situation. Maybe there is no reason and he's just trying to tease her. But, he does love coffee more than any other person she's come across, so there had to be a reason. _A reason… _With just that thought, a reason soon came to her.

That 'poison' was in his coffee. If that was the case, it was no wonder he'd suddenly not want to have it! Despite how he acts, the ordeal did startle, and even worry him. _I kind of feel bad for pestering him about it now. What if he doesn't want to talk, or even think about it?_

"Kitten?"

"H-Huh!?" Mia jumped out of her seat at the sound of Diego. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she lost sight of reality for a moment. "Uh, yes? What did Mr. Grossberg want?"

Diego crossed his arms as his smile faded. "Yeah, about that… sorry, but could you drive yourself home? I need to go somewhere."

"…I guess so, but where?" As she asked that, Mia's face turned full of concern. "I mean, only if you want to answer." She wanted to be more careful of what she's saying to Diego; it'd be bad if she strained a subject he didn't want to be brought up.

"It's nothing serious so don't worry. Anyway, I have to go now, so see ya." He turned and walked away, soon out of sight.

Gripping onto the driving wheel, Mia let out a sigh she'd been holding in. _Diego's been acting strange ever since then. Not that I can really blame him, but…_

* * *

There was a small café, one that was known for its unique and flavorful coffee. Diego walked up to it, trying to not smell the bitter scent that surrounded the building. As he was about to enter the place, he suddenly heard someone shout his name.

"Over here, Mr. Armando-!"

Ah, it was her. Dahlia Hawthorne… he hated seeing her face, but Mr. Grossberg told him that she called to meet with him. There was no way he was going to refuse this if there was a chance he could figure out what she's up to and what kind of poison that was.

She was sitting at one of the tables outside, smiling as innocently as ever. However, he noticed something different about her this time; she wasn't wearing her normal style of clothing. She was wearing a jacket with a hoodie, covering her face slightly. Still, her red hair was showing, which would tell anyone it was her.

"Ms. Hawthorne, are you trying to hide from anyone perhaps?" He asked her, sitting down now.

She giggled while grabbing her cappuccino. "Oh, Mr. Armando. You ask such silly things. Why would you think that?"

He slumped back in his seat, narrowing his eyes. "From what I know, you usually like to go for a more 'refined' and 'elegant' look. So why the hoodie and fairly big jacket?"

"Hmph… if you must know, I suppose you are right. Although, it's really none of your business, so that's all I'll say on that matter." Her expression dimmed as she said that, only to perk right back to a more chirpy look. "Anyway Mr. Armando, I bought you a coffee, since I just _had_ to return the favor of you buying me food."

Hah, that was obviously meant to be some form of sarcasm. And who was she kidding? There was no way he would touch a coffee brought by her with a ten foot pole. Eyeing the cup suspiciously, Diego smirked. "How kind of you. Unfortunately, it'll have to go to waste; I just want to get this talk over with."

"Whatever you say." She shrugged, drinking from her own cup. "Well, onto business then Mr. Armando… why don't we start with what you want to ask?"

There was no point in playing around the bush; if she was giving him the chance for answers, he'd cut straight to the point. "What did that poison do to me!? It hasn't affected me… other than maybe it was the cause of me thinking I sent someone a message, when in reality I hadn't."

"First of all, that was only a side effect."

"…Side effect? Of the poison?"

She nodded, looking annoyed by replying. "Well, come on. Lots of poisons have side effects, Mr. Armando. In this case, it made you strongly believe you did something because you planned to, but really didn't."

Clenching his fists, Diego tried to remain calm, but hearing how this poison had such an effect to it… what does the actual _poison_ do? It has to be much worse than just that.

"Ah well. I guess I should explain to you the poison, since there really isn't much you can do to stop it." She chimed in a bubbly manner, obviously a little too happy about this. "Oh, or maybe it's better to _show_ you? You lawyers love your evidence and proof after all."

Diego raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'show'?" He asked, although he supposed he'd soon find out if she wasn't bluffing.

She casually moved the cup of coffee that was full closer to Diego. He pulled away slightly, only for her to put it right by his nose, taking in the smell completely. Did this have anything to do with that poison or what?

"Drink the coffee." She quietly whispered, still holding it right by his face. Did she seriously think just because she said that, he'd listen? …or, so he thought. Almost as if instinctively, his hand started to move on its own, grabbing the cup from her hands. And, as told, he actually began to drink it.

_What… what is this!? Why am I listening to her…?_

As he continued to drink the coffee, she put one hand on top of the other and watched, with a little grin. "Get it now? You see, that poison was developed to work on a certain smell chosen. It works like this: you let the poison sit out with the lid open for about a day, basked in the smell you decide. I chose coffee, since I've done my research and see you just love that scent."

Swirling her own coffee with a spoon, she continued, "…once that's done, you have a person drink it. Now for what it really does, is that if you take in a good amount of that smell, a person can tell you what to do; give you a command, and you have no choice but to listen. Your body won't allow it any other way, even if your mind says no."

"…That's just impossible! No poison like that can exist… it's just nonsense!" He quickly yelled back as soon as he could, after taking in all the coffee.

"Believe what you want, but you've now seen proof." She stated, sneering. "Remember, I do have access to a lab, so obtaining this top secret poison was an easy job for me."

He was utterly silent after that. This was all just... not possible! How could he believe something like that? Well, other than the fact she was right about 'proof' but it's still just something he couldn't take in at the moment.

As she was about to say something else, suddenly Dahlia covered her face more with her hood, and looked to be trying to subtly glance over at the building across from the café. Curious to why, Diego glanced over, seeing a man with spiky hair walk over.

"Dollie! Is that… you?"

Dahlia rolled her eyes at just hearing the guy who walked over. She slid down her hood and smiled whilst turning her head to look at him. "Oh… hi, Phoenix." She tried to sound as giddy as possible, but slight irritation still came through.

Fortunately for her, he didn't seem to notice at all and grinned brightly. "Man, what's the chance of finding you near the place I work part-time! It really must be fate or something!"

"It's—"

Before she could respond, Phoenix just now noticed another man sitting at the table. "Uh… who's he?"

"Hey there, kid. The name's Diego Armando." He told him, standing up now. Was this her boyfriend? Before that incident occurred though, she told him her boyfriend was into pharmacology. This guy didn't look the type…

"Mr. Armando, this is Phoenix Wright. We both go to the same college." She introduced him not being very enthusiastic about it. "So, _Feenie_, we're kind of busy right now… mind talking later?"

Reluctantly, Phoenix went along with that and left, telling her he'd call later. She sighed out of relief and got up grabbing her umbrella. "I suppose that's enough for today. Now you understand the poison mostly, not that it will do you any good."

* * *

Inside her apartment, Mia picked up her phone, thinking whether or not to call Diego. "I should probably call him. It's been quite a bit since he left." She paused though, and shook her head. "…No, on second thought I might interrupt something important."

_He said it was nothing serious though, so it might be alright?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard knocking. Quickly opening the door, a smile curved on her lips as she saw her boyfriend. "Diego!'

"…Hey, kitten." He quietly greeted, soon gaining a reaction from Mia.

"Did… something happen?"

Unsure if he should bring it up with her, he only shook his head. _Should I really be that concerned? After all, if I just avoid that woman and even coffee… I should be fine._


	4. Chapter 4: Not So Sweet Day

Here's the next chapter! Again, thanks to all of you who have reviewed and favorited/followed! It means a lot to me, honestly. Also, thanks to those who have taken interest.

This chapter was supposed to focus more on Mia and Diego together, but I'm not so sure it turned out that way in the end. On another note, I thought for sure this was going to be a shorter chapter than the last, but funny how things work out. Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney series.**

* * *

Mia was in no mood to work. It's not like she's taken any cases since her first, but she still had stuff to do, so she had no choice. Getting herself some water, she subtly looked around and came to the conclusion Diego didn't show up for work today either.

_What's with him? He's been acting healthy, so why not come to work?_

Sighing, Mia thought back to how he was acting different after coming back to her apartment. The sigh was no quiet one, and didn't go unnoticed to Grossberg who had been standing right next to her.

"Are you well enough to be at work, Mia? All this sighing lately…"

"O-Oh, I'm fine! The weather's been getting to me is all! I'm fine and ready to take on anything!" She enthusiastically said back, trying to hide her uncertainty.

He didn't seem to buy it. "Oh? Even another case?"

The attorney winced at the word _case_. The one she had done hurt so badly, she just wasn't sure when she would be ready to tackle another. Mia didn't say anything back to that, only walking away. She was a _lawyer_ now! Just saying 'no' to that would be…

Grossberg cleared his throat before preventing Mia from walking. "W-Wait a moment! I actually came over here to tell you something, you know."

"Hm? And what's that…?" She asked suspiciously, turning back over at him.

She was surprised to see some tickets shoved right in her face. Snatching them a bit too aggressively, she saw they were tickets for an amusement park.

He explained to her that they were practically giving them away at some restaurant he went to, and gave him way too many, Therefore, he decided to give them away.

* * *

Back home, Mia stared at the tickets, wondering what she should do. Grossberg gave her three of them after all. Well, maybe that was a good thing; it might be lonely going there alone. They were free tickets into getting into the park, so it'd be wasteful to not go. Still, she wondered why they would just give those away; was there something wrong with the amusement park?

_…Oh well. Right now I guess I should decide who to ask to come. Diego and…_

She stopped, staring at her phone. Maya flashed in her mind; her dear little sister, the one she hadn't seen in so long. Maya was still fairly young and she enjoyed these types of things, so Mia naturally came to the conclusion to tell her about it. It'd be so nice and refreshing to see her too, so it's a win-win situation.

Dialing her number, Mia eagerly waited for Maya to pick up the phone. Upon about ten minutes of sitting with her head resting on the table, she gave up. Looking at her watch, she realized the time was when Maya would still be in the middle of training for the day.

_Oh, stupid me…! How could I forget that? Oh well though, she'll call back when she gets the chance._

Getting up, her phone finally rang. "Ah, hello? …Maya! Sorry for not calling in so long."

(_Hey, Sis! Man, the last time you called was… about a month ago!_)

"Sorry! Things have been pretty busy lately… anyway; I called to ask you something. My boss gave me some tickets to get into an amusement park for free! Want to come? We can talk more then as well."

(_Ohh! An amusement park! Of course I wanna go there!)_

Mia smiled at her sister's excitement. "Good, I'm glad. It'll be tomorrow, okay? …Alright, see you then!" Hanging up, Mia's mood had been greatly lifted from that short talk with Maya. Hopefully it would stay this way, but she was still concerned about Diego and what he was hiding…

* * *

The very next day, Mia waited at the train station to pick Maya up, as planned. Seeing her, Mia ran up and was greeted by a tight hug. "Maya…! You haven't changed a bit."

"I have! I've gotten better at my training!" Maya quickly replied, pulling away from Mia now.

Mia chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Of course."

On the ride to the amusement park, the two spent their time catching up, talking about all sorts of things. Mia tried to avoid the talk of her first case, and the fact she hadn't done another since then. Luckily, Maya was easy to distract if it was brought into conversation.

Arriving at their destination, Mia saw Diego was already there outside. "Diego…!" She waved walking over to him. Maya followed while trying to remember who exactly Diego was. She'd met him before, but none of the details were sticking out. It soon came to her though.

"Hi, Mr. Armando!"

Diego grinned upon noticing the younger Fey. "Oh! Maya… right? Just 'Diego' is fine." He soon turned back at Mia though, almost with what appeared to be a glare. "So, kitten… mind telling me what this is all about? You suddenly called at night telling me to come to this location for something important."

Mia awkwardly laughed while scratching the back of her head. "O-Oh, right! Well…"

_I didn't ask him about wanting to come to the amusement park, because… I felt like he would have automatically said 'no'._

Grabbing the tickets, she put them close enough for Diego to clearly read them. "We're at an amusement park, right? Well, yesterday Mr. Grossberg gave me these tickets to get in free, and since I had three…"

With her words, Diego just sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "…Sorry but I think I'll be lea—"

"Wait! Come on, Diego." Mia ran right in front of Diego, firmly staying there. "It'll be fun! We all… need a break. You especially."

Although he was touched by her kindness and concern, he didn't want to be around anyone right now. Mia the most. Looking over at Maya though, who looked pretty disappointed, he decided to just go along with it anyway. He couldn't make a little girl sad, now could he?

He closed his eyes in a defeated way while shrugging. "…Fine, fine. I hope this isn't a crappy amusement park though, being able to get in free and all."

"Hm, Mr. Grossberg did seem awfully eager to give these…" Mia added, looking a bit irritated at the thought.

Maya ran in front of the two, making her way near the entrance. "Who cares-! Come on, come on! Let's hurry in!"

_On a brightside, I highly doubt there will be any coffee here. _Diego thought with a low sigh. _…Which I guess is mainly good cause I'm not sure if I could keep myself away from it._

Making it inside, the three examined the park. It was… fairly empty. There weren't many workers present, and a lot of rides were 'out of order'. Not only that, but a lot of them also seemed old and brittle, like they wouldn't work or something could easily go wrong with them.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Diego muttered, catching sight of the sign that said, 'Closing soon'. That definitely explained the free tickets, but didn't make Diego any less mad about this. "Well, kitten. I guess we now know why Mr. Grossberg was so 'generous'."

"…All too well." Mia said shaking her head in disappointment. "Sorry about this, Maya. I know you couldn't wait to come and—"

"Sis, this place looks pretty interesting! Different from other amusement parks I've seen in magazines!" She beamed in a bubbly manner, glancing left and right. "Do you think they sell burgers anywhere?"

"H-Huh!? Um, well at least you seem to like it." Mia weakly smiled, not _too_ surprised by the response granted. Maya wasn't that hard to please; give her something fun to do, and she'll be mostly fine.

Diego though, was of course not so excited. Leaving right this instant would be ideal, but seeing as they were already inside and the young girl seemed quite thrilled, there was no choice left. "Well, you two go on ahead. I'll go give our tickets."

"Oh, thanks, Diego. Come on then, Maya."

With those two soon out of sight -thanks to Maya practically dragging Mia- Diego went over and gave his tickets. He still thought it was highly strange how they could get in for free just by giving tickets, but he wasn't going to complain. There was no way he would pay for this dump.

Searching for the two Feys, Diego found out this place wasn't as small as it appeared. Hearing a roller coaster going by, he figured it would be the two of them, but saw it wasn't. It looked like just some couple, but catching a better glimpse of them for a second, Diego could have sworn Dahlia Hawthorne was there. And the guy looked like that Phoenix Wright she introduced to him yesterday.

"…No way she would be here. I must have just thought they looked like them."

He knew that assumption had to be wrong, but he wanted it to be. Dealing with that woman in two days straight would be too much to handle right now. It was an understatement that nothing good comes from being around her.

Thankfully, he caught up with the two girls. "Kitten, Maya! Sheesh, finally found you two." He said, sounding exasperated in a way.

"Hey, I'd like to see _you_ try to stop her from wanting to see every little—" Mia abruptly stopped her sentence and stared at Diego, silently. _Is it just me, or does he look anxious…?_

As Diego was about to ask her what's the matter, Maya suddenly shouted at the pair. "H-Huh!? Yes, Maya?" Mia asked, walking up to her little sister. No doubt it had to be with wanting to ride yet another roller coaster. They haven't been here that long and she's already gone on five of them!

"There's a haunted house here! Can we go in it? Pleease?" Maya begged, giving her sister puppy eyes.

Mia and Diego both simultaneously looked at each other, unsure what to tell her. Mia wasn't scared of those kinds of things since being somewhat connected to spirits helped in a way, but Diego didn't appear to be interested in the idea. "…What do you think, Diego?"

"I say we do it."

"What!? But… but you looked so bored at the thought!" Mia hastily blurted back.

He couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "Hah, I don't know if I really looked like that, but it sounds like it could be fun! I've never been to a haunted house before, but I've always kind of wanted to."

"Well, if you both want to, then we might as well." Mia sighed, hoping that Diego would have been on her side about this. It just sounded… sort of dull, but who knows.

Near the entrance of the spooky house, Mia read the sign that was outside it. "Kids below the age of thirteen may not enter…"

_Uh-oh. Maya is twelve… so close, too._

She glanced over at her sister who's expression wasn't the happiest. "Sorry, Maya."

"C-Come on, sis! I could pass for thirteen!" Maya said flustered, catching onto what Mia was thinking quick. "Mr. Diego, help me out!"

"Hm… the little kitten has a point. No need to be such a stickler for rules at a place like this, right?" Diego decided to back her up.

Mia had almost forgotten this was Diego; he could be pretty careless sometimes. "Rules are rules! Diego, you're a _lawyer_, too!" She wanted Maya to be able to, but going against such things wasn't of her nature. "Sorry, but no is no."

Crossing her arms while puffing her cheeks, Maya pouted. Diego handed her a few dollars and pointed towards one of the stands. "Hey, Maya. I think they sell burgers over there, so why don't you go buy one?"

The young girl's expression lit up immediately as she nodded. "Yay! Thanks, Mr. Diego!" She shouted, beginning to run over there.

Diego turned back to Mia, a grin still there. "While she's doing that, what say you and me go in there together?"

"…Very funny, Diego. Those kinds of places just aren't—"

Interrupting her sentence, Diego grabbed his girlfriend's hand and began to lead her in there. "Wh-what—?" Making it inside the building, the lights dimmed considerably to the point both could barely see. Without even realizing it, Mia instinctively tightened her grip on Diego.

"What's this? You feeling scared, kitten?" The older attorney teased.

Mia rolled her eyes while straightening her posture. "Of course… not! Things like this don't scare me, you know. What about you though?" She asked with a tiny smirk. It was true, she really wasn't scared, but maybe Diego was?

"Ha…! As if! This is no—"

A fake bat suddenly flung down at the two, hitting Diego's face. "…nothing, but kind of annoying." He mumbled, taking it off his face. Taking another step, a spider now fell down onto his hair. "H-Hey!"

Watching as he took it off, Mia couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. "Ha ha! Diego, this haunted house sure doesn't like you, does it?" She said in between laughter.

Even though he seemed irritated by this, he was being carefree. Him being like that made Mia carefree in return; he felt happy in what seemed to be a long time.

"I bet you wouldn't be laughing if it happened to you." He got closer to Mia, and then dropped the spider on her head.

"Wh-Whoa! Diego—!" She sounded angry at first, but soon went back to giggling. "Oh, whatever. Come on, let's make it out of here! Hopefully… without you falling into another trap."

Diego merely stared as Mia now took the lead into the dark and dim house. He smiled, thinking she seemed to be finally in a bright mood again. She wouldn't say so, but he knew she was worried sick about him.

* * *

"We're finally out of there!" Mia exclaimed while stretching her arms. It took them about an hour or so to make it out of the haunted house. "I hope Maya's waiting outside or near the food stand…"

"I doubt it; she probably couldn't stand still—"

Diego abruptly put a stop to his sentence and movement, staring ahead. Mia curiously glanced at him, confused, and then back to looking straight. Her eyes widened as she realized why he did so.

She saw Dahlia. That fairly long, trailing red hair, her pure looking eyes and demeanor… it was her, that was certain. She was with some guy too, but Mia didn't pay all that much attention to him.

_Ms. Hawthorne…! I can't believe I would run into her again here, of all places…_

Honestly, Mia wished she could shoo Diego somewhere so she could talk to that witch alone, but he already saw her, so it was too late to come up with some lame excuse. As she leaned closer to see the older attorney's expression, she noticed how… _serious_ he looked. It was no surprise, seeing as she poisoned him and probably attempted to take his life with it, but there was more to his stare than just that.

"…Diego?"

Her voice alone was enough to snap Diego out of whatever he was thinking. "Huh? …Yeah?"

Mia merely gazed at the man while she tried to think of the best course of action. Dahlia didn't seem to notice either of them at the moment, so it gave her some time. Should she and Diego go speak with her? About what though? It would be better to go alone, to not involve Diego any longer. There was no way though… she knew better than anyone how stubbornly headstrong he was.

While brainstorming on any kind of idea, Mia caught sight of Maya. She grabbed Diego's hand and dragged him over to where her little sister was. "Maya!"

"Sis! You two were in the haunted mansion, right? How was it? Did you two get _really_ scared? Oh oh, before I forget, I wanted to tell you I went on a ride that was—"

Mia quietly told Diego to wait right there as she interrupted Maya's excited talk, taking her a bit further away from Diego. "Sorry to interrupt you, Maya… I'll listen later, but for now, I need your help on something."

Maya tilted her head, puzzled.

"See, there's this person here I really need to talk with. The problem is, Diego really shouldn't see them, so I've got to alone. He'll insist on coming, so here's where you come in, okay?" As Mia was about to continue, Maya nodded. "…Great, thank you, Maya! What you need to do is be really passionate about going on some kind of ride or wanting to see something with him. He'll probably give in or not have the heart to refuse you, so it should work."

"Hmm… okay, I can do it! Seems easy enough!" Maya agreed, sounding enthusiastic.

"Alright! Now let's—" Mia turned back in the direction Diego should have been, only to see him not there.

_That… Idiot! I told him to wait there! How could I have trusted him to do that!? _Mia angrily thought, clenching her fist. "…Change of plans. Maya, I can at least count on _you_ to wait, so please do that!"

* * *

"Dollie! Do you want me to get you a drink? They don't have a good selection, but you've gotta be thirsty!"

Dahlia nodded. "Um, sure." Soon after responding, her eyes darted to the left, noticing some man walking over to them both. Phoenix saw how Dahlia suddenly seemed… nervous, so he went back over to her.

"…Oh! That's the guy that was with you yesterday, right? 'Diego Armando' or something." He remarked in a somewhat jealous tone.

He got no reply back. Diego was now near the two, and glanced back and forth at the pair. "Hey there. Didn't expect to see either of you here."

"Uh, same here. Dollie and I are on a date! What about you, Mr. uh, Armando?"

Cautiously looking around the area, Diego saw no sign of Mia around. Hopefully it would stay that way. Even if Dahlia already had a clue of their relationship, it'd be better if she knew as little as possible. For Mia's sake. "My boss gave me a ticket, so I came to check it out, being free and all."

"You came _alone_!?" Phoenix yelped in surprise, which then caused him to cough quietly. "…if it wasn't for Dollie though, I might have had to as well. Still though, you look, um, like you'd be popular or something."

Before Diego could say anything back, Dahlia chimed in. "Feenie? I'm… not feeling that well. Could we leave?"

The attorney suspiciously glared at Dahlia. She was being oddly silent the entire time… in fact, something about her seemed _different_ than usual. She always had a refined and innocent air to her, but this time, she seemed more shy and peaceful. Something was off.

"Oh? Ms. Hawthorne, do you have nothing to say?" He asked with a smirk, trying to gain a reaction.

Phoenix got in front of the red head. "H-Hey! I don't care for your tone you have with my Dollie!"

She shook her head while grasping onto her umbrella tighter. "It's alright, Feenie. Mr. Armando… forgive me for not greeting you. It's nice to see you again."

The glare remained as silence consumed the area, the air getting tenser. As he kept up the icy gaze, he noticed Dahlia actually _flinched_ for a second. Something was up, that's for sure.

Phoenix stomped on the ground, now right in front of Dahlia. "Cut it out, or I'll…!"

As the man with spiky hair was about to grab Diego by the collar, a shout from the distance was heard.

"Diego—!"

Not mistaking the voice for anyone but Mia, Dahlia abruptly began to walk away, urging Phoenix to follow suit. Confused, Phoenix went along with it, and both hurried off.

Diego grit his teeth, mad at the fact she was basically _running away_. "Hey, wait! Dahlia…!"

Finally there next to Diego, Mia caught her breath momentarily before speaking. "Why… did you just go off like that!? You know I knew Ms. Hawthorne was here! After what happened before, why would you go alone?"

"I don't need for you to constantly look after me, okay?" He barked back, obviously in a horribly bad mood.

Mia softly sighed. "…Diego, I know you can handle yourself. It's just; it worries me when something could happen to you again. You were alone when she poisoned you, so naturally it's smarter to—"

"Mia, I know what I'm doing! Just don't interfere, got it!?" After yelling that a bit too loudly, Diego avoided eye contact, and turned to walk away.

Not stopping him, Mia solemnly watched. She didn't want him to leave, not without saying anything at least. Still though… she was struck with heavy concern once more. Was… Diego changing? No, it was probably just her imagination, but still, evidence was there.

* * *

Now at her apartment, Dahlia sat on her bed, loudly sighing. "I... wasn't sure what to do. I _still_ don't know what to do." She began to mess with her hair, taking off a wig, revealing black hair. "...I-I should probably consult Dahlia about this. How to deal with Mr. Armando and Mia Fey."


	5. Chapter 5: Gulp Down the Bitterness

This chapter took longer than expected, since Dual Destinies got me distracted and I lost a good bit of motivation. Anyway, here it is though!

As always, reviews/favorites/follows are appreciated!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney series.**

* * *

After what was meant to be a relaxing, fun day, Mia returned to her apartment along with Maya. She sat on the couch, staring at the wall. Maya was already fast asleep in the room next door, leaving her in peace and quiet.

_I should— no, need to do something. I don't care if Diego will get angry at me, I just need to help._

Not wasting another second, Mia picked up her cell phone and put in Lana's number. "…Hello, Lana? Hey! Sorry for calling so late… I need to ask you something."

* * *

It was now morning as Mia hurried out of bed to get ready. She made sure to be as quiet as possible, as to not wake Maya up.

Putting on her jacket, Mia examined a piece of paper. That piece, having an address written on it. She asked Lana where Dahlia lived –since she was a suspect in two cases, Lana had knowledge of her address, thanks to being an investigator—and decided to go there.

"I wonder if this is a good idea. What am I even aiming to accomplish by going there?" She muttered to herself, while putting on shoes. "…I feel I have to, though."

_Just keep it together Mia, and remain calm._

* * *

Arriving at the quite fancy apartment, Mia wondered to herself how Dahlia manages to afford this place; she's still in college, after all. Eventually finding her room, Mia knocked on the door a few times.

Soon enough, it was opened. "Hello…?" Of course, it was _her_. Dahlia's eyes widened, her facial expression soon turning to discomfort. "Oh, uh… hello, Madame Fey."

"Just Miss Fey is fine, you know." Mia walked into the apartment as soon as Dahlia moved out of the way for her to do so. Glancing around it was… a normal apartment. Mia wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it appeared a little too cozy.

Dahlia went to go make some tea —which of course Mia wasn't going to drink— leaving her to think about how odd Dahlia was acting. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly; maybe the fact she seemed nervous and overall fidgety. This wasn't like the usual confident, calculatingly sweet Ms. Hawthorne. Something was wrong if she could tell something was up the moment she saw her.

After some minutes went by, the red haired woman came back inside the room, placing the cup in front of Mia. "Here you are. I hope you enjoy. I… don't make tea often, so I hope it suits your taste."

"You shouldn't have gone to the trouble." Mia responded, not even taking a look at it. "…Can we get to business now? I didn't come for a leisurely talk over tea, you know."

Dahlia smiled. "Of course. You're lucky I don't have any classes today; we can take our time."

"…So, do you remember your meeting with Mr. Armando? In the courthouse's cafeteria."

There was a slight pause for an answer came. "…Oh. Yes, of course I do. It was only a few days ago, wasn't it? A… shame what happened to Mr. Armando though. At least he's alright."

There was another innocent grin from her again. Mia mentally rolled her eyes. "How did he get poisoned?"

"Hm…? Ms. Fey, how would I know that? Maybe he wasn't even poisoned, but—"

"Oh no, I assure you he was. The doctors even confirmed so. Although, it was a highly unusual kind of it, but nonetheless."

Mia's eyes remained lock on Dahlia's own eyes. She wanted to see any type of reaction whatsoever. Oddly enough… Dahlia's eyes were somewhat shifty, and the woman seemed like she had to think really hard about what to say at times.

Silence consumed the room.

* * *

The alarm was ringing loudly, causing Maya to groggily get up. Walking out of the room, it didn't take long for Maya to notice Mia went out. She vaguely wondered where she could have went to since it was the weekend, but soon found out by a note laying on the table.

Reading it, she found out that Mia was going over to someone's house to discuss something work related. "Hm…" Maya tilted her head, wondering what was going on. She's fairly young, but she still could tell something was amiss. Especially so since what happened yesterday.

Having nothing better to do, Maya figured she may as well call Diego; maybe Mia was over there? Luckily enough, Mia left her phone at the apartment, so his number was a contact.

"….Hello? Mr. Diego! I was wondering, is my sis at your place?"

Once Diego answered no, he quickly asked why she was asking. "Oh, it's no big deal! Just, sis told me she was over at someone's house to talk about something related to her work."

After that, the conversation derailed somewhat thanks to Maya, and soon, Maya hung up the phone.

"I wonder why Mr. Diego seemed concerned about what I said."

* * *

After hanging up his call with Maya, Diego thought of reasons why Mia would go over to someone's place to talk about work. It shouldn't be a big deal, but Mia hasn't taken a case since her first, so what could there be to really talk about over the weekend? He hated to pry into the matter, but now that he was curious, he just had to find out where she really was.

"…I wonder if Mr. Grossberg or Ms. Skye would know."

* * *

There had been no response from Dahlia in minutes. Mia was about to say something to her when the younger woman's phone began to rang.

"Oh, just a moment, Ms. Fey."

The demure woman rushed to the phone in a hurry. It was a shame she went into a different room to answer it though; Mia was now unable to listen. With nothing to do but wait, Mia started to examine the apartment more, seeing as this was a rare opportunity and she could have left evidence of the poison somewhere.

Every nook and cranny was searched, but nothing came of it. Mia sighed, but it wasn't as if she was surprised. Dahlia was too cautious a woman, even in her own home, to leave anything.

Just as Mia was picking up a little trinket, Dahlia walked back in the room. "O-Oh! Finish that phone call, Ms. Hawthorne?" Mia uncomfortably asked, trying to sneakily put the item down.

**"**A… about that, I'm afraid something has come up. So, you'll have to leave." Dahlia bowed her head down, an odd gesture for her. "I'm terribly sorry about this."

Mia walked by the door, hand on knob. "…Another time, then. Bye Ms. Hawthorne."

With that, she swiftly left. Once a fair bit away from the room, Mia ran he hand down her hair. "…Well, that turned out to be a waste of time."

_If I ever want to uncover the truth of everything, I'm going to have to dig deeper._

Once completely out of the building, a wave of surprise hit the brunette. Over by her car, she saw Diego there. How did he know…?

Normally, she'd smile upon seeing his face, but… considering how things left off yesterday, and the fact he had a scowl, that wasn't going to happen. Not to mention Mia was pretty angry with him; he had no reason to raise his voice at her, since after all, she was only concerned for him.

"…How did you know I'd be here?" _Not only that, but how did you find out her address?_

Diego stopped folding his arms and instead, put one hand in his pocket as Mia made her way over to the car. "Your kitten friend Lana told me."

Mia fell silent. There was no need for her to tell him that, not that she could fault Lana any though. "…I see. So why did you come, anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? You told me to not do anything alone when it comes to that woman, but then you did just that; going on your own."

She couldn't think of any comeback to that –none that wouldn't hurt his feelings anyway, and she didn't want to do that— so she just sighed while sitting in her car now. "…Diego, I didn't want to, believe me. But you're not telling me anything, so what choice did I have?"

The uncomfortable quietness in the air resumed, only ending when Diego muttered 'bye' and left. Mia didn't look over when he did; she didn't want to see his expression, unsure what he was feeling. This wasn't good. If things continued on like this, then…

* * *

"I'm back!" Mia shouted, walking back into her apartment. She was soon greeted by Maya, who had her attention on the Steel Samurai.

"Welcome back, sis!" Her little sister stood up, and smiled at her. "Where were you anyway? Mr. Diego didn't know when I called him."

_Oh, so that's how he found out… Maya called him._

Putting down her bag, Mia got herself some ice cold water, and sat down. She didn't need to rest physically, but rather, mentally right now. Explaining where she went in the vaguest of terms, Maya accepted what she was saying, and asked no further questions regarding it.

"Oh, right. Maya how long do you plan on staying?" Mia asked, wondering what to tell those back in Kurain.

A frown quickly replaced Maya's smile at those words. "Oh, uh… I don't know. Maybe a couple more days?"

"Alright, but you'll have to keep up with your training, alright? I don't want the heads of the village to get angry with you or anything." Mia said, smiling to reassure Maya she was okay with her staying as long as she wanted.

The topic of conversation soon changed after that. Mia was glad that Maya would be staying longer, not only because she wanted to spend more time with her sister, but because it helped lift weights off her mind.

* * *

The very next day, Mia arrived to work per usual. She was surprised though; Diego showed up today. He hadn't come since the day of his questioning Dahlia, but he's back now. Others there asked him if he was well enough to show up, but he always lightheartedly told them he was as good as healthy again.

Judging by Diego's tone… he really did seem to be feeling better. Emotionally, even. He was laughing, and that usual grin of his was back. Mia was relieved… but part of her felt something wasn't right. She wanted to believe he truly was back to normal again, but he could just be putting up an act.

She tried to just concentrate on her work, which was just messing with a bunch of files and paperwork. Every once in a while she'd catch Diego glancing over at her, but he never came over to talk.

Although Mia tried her best to avoid looking or paying attention to Diego, she couldn't help but notice how he seemed to… try to avoid coffee? There's a coffee machine for everyone to use in the building, but he always seemed to stay as far away as possible from it. He even seemed to avoid anyone holding a cup of coffee. Clearly strange for the guy known as a coffee addict.

Hours passed, and eventually it was time for Mia to head home. Just as she was getting ready to leave, Grossberg came over to her.

"Oh, Mia! Just a moment, please."

Mia raised an eyebrow and waited for what he wanted. She noticed he was holding a decent sized stack of some files… she wondered what they were.

He cleared his throat before continuing. "This is hard for me to ask… but would you be willing to accept another case?"

She felt a lump in her throat. Another case… should she accept it? Flashbacks to the other kept going through her mind. Dahlia, Terry defending her, and getting poisoned in the end, dying in court. She was unable to help him, and he was her client!

"…Are those files about the case you want me to do?"

Grossberg nodded. "Yes, I know it's wrong for me to ask you of this, but… you're the only one other than Armando who isn't doing a case right now, and I need someone to take over it for me."

She was unsure what to tell him. She wanted to say no, but at the same time, yes. "I'll look over it, alright?"

Mia knew deep down she wasn't going to accept it though.

* * *

Once back, Mia went to her room and stared at the papers. Slumping in her seat, her eyes then wandered to the ceiling.

Another case.

Those two words rang in her mind over and over. Could she handle it? She was sure she could, but did she want to go through another one, just yet? Here she was, a lawyer, and she was feeling like this. She was ashamed, honestly.

_I know I could do it. But… would I be able to help a client? I couldn't last time._

With those thoughts in mind, she began to open the file regardless. Reading through it, she came across the autopsy, hidden between the wedges of the papers. Reading it… she saw the cause of death was _poison_?

The date of which the victim was poisoned was seven days ago. Seven… only mere days before Diego's own poisoning. What did this mean? Was the true reason Grossberg wanted her to handle this... because he believes it's somehow connected to Dahlia?

* * *

Lying on his couch, Diego messed with his phone. Closing his eyes, he tried to keep his thoughts far away from anything relating back to the poison.

Lazing about wasn't going to make that happen though, so he got up.

_…As long as nobody else is around, I should be fine drinking coffee though, right?_

He was already missing the warm, bitterness of coffee. And come on, given the stress, it was only a matter of time until he gave in. Just as he was about to make some, his phone rang. "…Hello, Mr. Armando speaking."

('Ah, hey, Diego.')

It was Mia's voice.

('I just thought I should tell you I'm accepting another case. Since you helped me out so much with my first one… I thought I should let you know.')

"Another case? Why so suddenly, kitten?"

Mia was taken aback by him calling her 'kitten'. It seemed like a long time since she's heard him call her that, even if it hasn't been.

('Well… Mr. Grossberg told me he was requested to take this one, but things came up. So, he asked me to handle it.')

"I see… what's the case about?"

Just as he asked that, a knock came on the door. "Oh, wait, I'll have to call you back, kitten." Hanging up, he opened the door to see… _her_. Dahlia Hawthorne.

Letting her herself in, she put down the parasol at the entry. Taking a seat, she grinned. "I hope you don't mind me coming to visit, Mr. Armando."

Did she really need to continue on with the 'nice' act? He already knew how twisted and vile she really is, beneath that innocent look. Speaking of… it was probably a bad move to let her in his house.

Sitting down, she gripped onto one of her hands while crossing her legs. It seems she was making herself get more comfortable. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. I admit I was standing outside the door before I knocked and heard you speaking to someone on the phone."

Were the walls in this apartment really that thin? Diego tried to suppress the urge of letting out a huge sigh. "…Okay, and? Don't tell me the only reason you came all this way was to eavesdrop?"

"Certainly not." Dahlia shook her head, still smiling. "I heard Madame Fey— Mia Fey, is accepting a case."

Any movement he had stopped. He tried to not look too surprised, since any emotion would only serve to amuse her, but it was clear he was shocked.

_How…? I only just learned this minutes ago from Mia herself. I doubt she'd told anyone else yet._

"…And how do you know that, little kitten?"

"I stopped by Grossberg & co law offices to see if you were there, before came here. Your boss… he informed me once I asked some things."

Somehow, Diego was less than surprised Grossberg would let it slip. "I see. So what about it?"

"Don't let her actually take the case."

Suddenly, her whole demeanor changed. Her tone was commanding, voice cold, and she had a scowl. Honestly, it may have been threatening to most, but not Diego. If anything, he was only confused.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why not? I don't know if you're aware, but Mia Fey is a _lawyer_." That whole sentence was just laced with sarcasm.

"Don't you take that tone with _me_, Mr. Armando." She spat back, pulling some hair back behind her ear. "Obviously there's a reason I don't want her to. I won't tell you why, but all you need to do is stop her."

Dahlia stood up, and put her bag she'd been carrying on her shoulder on top of the table. Sifting through it, she took a lone piece of paper out, and handed it to Diego.

"I was going to tell you what to do, but you could forget, so I just wrote my instructions for you. Read over them tonight, act on them tomorrow."

After explaining that in a, once again demanding tone, she grabbed her bag again and went over to the door. "That's all for today. Also, I don't think I need to say why you have to obey. See you, Mr. Armando."

Once the door slammed shut, Diego gulped. He really didn't want to read what she wrote, much less put whatever it'd be to action.

* * *

Soon enough, another day came around. Mia left her apartment earlier than usual to hurry and tell Mr. Grossberg she'd take the case. She tried calling him last night, but of course he didn't pick up.

Once she got into the building she dashed to his office."Mr. Grossberg-!"

"M-Mia! What's going on? You're horribly out of breath, my dear." Grossberg remarked, after his usual clearing of the throat.

"I-I'm okay, I just wanted to get here as soon as possible, is all." She weakly smiled at him, handing some files. "I wanted to tell you first thing that I'll accept that case!"

Right as she finished that sentence, Grossberg's expression changed; like he was _guilty_, or something. Mia couldn't help but turn her smile into a frown.

He sat down, and turned the other way on his chair. "Er… inform me _which_ case again, Mia?"

"Hm? You know, the one you asked me to take yesterday. The victim died of poisoning, and the accused—"

"I'm sorry." He interrupted, a soft sigh escaping his lips midway. "…Someone… came earlier than you did, and accepted the case."

_What?_

Mia couldn't hide the puzzled look she had right then. "But… how? You only told me about the case, right? To take it."

"Yes, that baffles me, too. However, the attorney who decided to take the case, told me Mr. Armando told them about it."

_D-Diego!? Don't tell me he told them to accept it?_

It took minutes for that to get fully registered in Mia's mind. Why would he do that? Especially after she specifically told him she'd be the one to take it. She didn't want to believe he was responsible for telling someone else to take it, but it seemed almost too coincidental. The last thing Mia needed right now was to doubt Diego.


	6. Chapter 6: Overtake the Bad Taste

A quicker update this time! So here's where things to start move more for plot and Mia and Diego's relationship (well, somewhat but it is progress).

And as I always say, reviews/favorites/follows are greatly appreciated! On that note, please don't be afraid to review.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney series.**

* * *

Getting Mia to concentrate on anything else for the day would be pointless. Only one thing was on her mind; did Diego tell some other attorney to take the case when she told him she'd take it? Sure, she didn't get the chance to explain what the case was about so it might not have seemed important to her in his point of view, but…

It wouldn't excuse his actions. If he truly pulled that, then it was certainly none of his business to do that. Did he not trust her abilities to take another case? He was the one who put all his faith in her during her first one, though.

Mia sighed. _Why am I bothering with thinking all of these negative thoughts? I should just ask him straight out. If he lies to me… my magatama will tell that for me._

Being a part of the Fey lineage certainly helped with detecting lies. Although, it didn't give the reasoning for why the person would be lying, that's for the holder of the magatama to find out.

"Mr. Grossberg. Is Mr. Armando coming in today?"

His eyes looked like they sunk in more. "…I'm sorry, m'dear. I'm afraid I don't have a clue. Though if he's feeling healthy again, I see no reason why he wouldn't."

"…I see…" She muttered, her tone of some disappointment. She took this in two ways; if Diego did show up, then it might prove he has nothing to hide and he didn't do it. If he _doesn't_ though, then it could be taken as a sign of guilt, not showing because he knows what he did…

_Well, either way, I just need to confront him._

After waiting and waiting… he never did come. The work day was done, so Mia decided to just leave. There was no way he was actually going to show. Preparing to go, Mia caught sight of something interesting. There was a white parasol with some pink lace on it, near the door.

"…Is that what I think it is?"

Grossberg came over, and as he saw it now too, his eyes widened. "Oh no…! Did that poor girl leave her umbrella here?"

_…Poor girl?_

Mia glared at her boss, demanding an explanation for this. No doubt, that had to be Dahlia Hawthorne's parasol. She never saw any other like it in store, or anyone else holding anything like it.

He let out a quiet groan. "Er, since you seem troubled by this… a young woman came by here as I was about to leave the office. She began to ask me about the case you were going to take, you see. So I just told her some things about it, such as how you might be the defense for it, and well…"

_So then Dahlia knew…!_

"Bye, Mr. Grossberg!" She grabbed the parasol and rushed out of the building. Running as quick as possible, she made her way to Dahlia's apartment. Giving back her parasol was a nice excuse for trying to get information out of her.

Once she was in front of the door, she knocked a few times, and eagerly waited.

…There came no answer though. She waited minute after minute, and after ten whole minutes passed… Mia begrudgingly gave up. With her luck lately, Mia should have expected this to happen. The brunette put down the parasol in front of the door, and left.

Her next stop was clear; Diego's apartment. If she couldn't talk with Dahlia, then Diego was the next best step. It'd be better to hear from Diego's own mouth anyway… not that she wasn't going to at some point.

Now there, she rang the doorbell. Waiting, Mia's patience grew weary. Dahlia probably talked to him yesterday about who knows what, so he's probably in there trying to avoid her. "Diego? Come on, open up!"

No response. Mia's eyes narrowed as her frown only deepened. This was hopeless when it didn't need to be; if only Diego would open up more and actually _talk_, then—

Unexpectedly for her, the door opened ever so slightly.

"…Kitten. What's up?"

It seemed like he was trying to sound casual with his tone of voice but so… monotone, it didn't work. Mia tried to pry open the door more. She wanted to see his face, what his expression was. "'What's up'? I'll tell you _what's up_, someone accepted the case I was going to take before I could!"

"I see… sorry to hear that."

She paused for a moment, hearing that. "…Is that it? All you have to say?"

_Open the door, Diego._

From behind the door, she could hear Diego make a small grunt, as if he was annoyed or just didn't feel like talking about this right now. Either way, she didn't take it as a good sign.

"What else can I say? I truly am sorry that you couldn't get it. That case seemed like it meant more to you than just another chance to defend someone."

"Diego…" Mia's eyes widened, and her body tensed. The man himself probably didn't realize, but Mia sure did. He let something slip big time. "How would you figure that? I didn't get the chance to explain the case or anything about it…"

With no other reply in seconds, Mia took the chance to shove the door open. Once she had… she saw the expression Diego was wearing. The look in his eyes were clearly a form of guilt, and his hand was twitching somewhat.

Standing right by the doorway was no place to talk though, so she just began to walk more inside the apartment, and he followed, quietly.

Neither sat, even though chairs were right by their side. The pair seemed too tense and stiff to do so. Mia spoke again first. "…Why? Why would you tell some other attorney to take the case, when I told you I would?"

Finally, he actually looked right back at her. "What—Where did you come to that conclusion!?"

"I know Ms. Hawthorne knew about it." _Thanks a lot, Mr. Grossberg._ Mia thought soon after saying so, and crossed her arms. "…Which makes me come to the conclusion she told you to stop me from getting that case. Am I right?"

He looked speechless. His eyes darted slowly, left and right, as if trying to find the right words to say. "Oh yeah? Tell me, why would I listen to that witch?"

"I don't know." She quietly sighed before continuing, "…because you won't tell me anything."

Mia's eyes never wavered, as well as never turning away from Diego's. He though, on the other hand, kept trying to avoid eye contact from her.

"We're… in a relationship. I think a relationship is like the bond of an attorney and their client, in a way. _Trust _is what holds it together; believing in one another." Her voice was warm but had some coldness to it by saying that; her frown remained. "But Diego, you're not trusting me. Not _believing_ in me, by not telling me anything."

"Mia, I—! I don't want you mixed up in any of this. That's it." He gripped onto his right hand, holding it tightly. "…It's got nothing to do with _trust_."

She shook her head. "Well, I don't think that's it. You don't trust that I can help with whatever you're dealing with!"

_I know he's being genuine with his words. But honestly…_

He ran a hand through his hair, and closed his eyes tightly shut. "Look, I'm not thinking right. Just go, now."

"No. We need to _talk_ this through."

"…Ha! So you really want to know that badly, huh? I always knew you were a stubborn lion."

Mia raised an eyebrow by Diego's sudden change of tone. Lighthearted… almost. Not knowing what to entirely say, she merely nodded her head.

"I'll... explain." He sat down, and crossed his legs. "You'll probably laugh, but see, that poison may not be the normal case of it, but the liquid still had nasty effects."

_Nasty? But he seems perfectly fine, as far as physical health goes._

"…the demon kitten somehow got ahold of this special kind of it. Anyway, she's made it so if I smell the aroma of coffee and sniff it in… she can say a command, and I'll have no choice but to obey it. She's done it once, so I… know it's no bluff."

He said it all so quick, like he really didn't want to have to remember it all, to know that it's _real _and happened. At least, that's what Mia figured to be the case.

_That explains the whole avoiding coffee situation, then…_

"That's all… very hard to believe and frankly, unrealistic, but…" She put a finger near her mouth, looking deep in thought, as if still registering it all in her mind. "I believe you though. And come on, being a part of the Fey family of spirit mediums, I can believe in some pretty odd things."

As she was about to say something else similar in effect, Mia froze, realizing another part of what he told her. "…Hold it. You said she's done it once!?"

Diego nodded. "Yeah. It was nothing major, just… forcing me to drink coffee."

"Even so, the fact that she made you do something against your will… Diego, this is all just _wrong_! We've got to do something about her!" She shouted that out, shaking her head profusely and slamming a hand against the table.

'Wrong'. The word was such a simple way of saying it, but she couldn't think of any sophisticated word to describe this whole fiasco. Dahlia Hawthorne basically killed her ex-boyfriend Terry and to think she's using some strange poison on the brunette's own boyfriend now; it was too much for the defense attorney to think how she's allowed Dahlia to roam free this long.

He slumped back in his seat, and stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah, of course. But _what_? Unless there's another time to go against her in court, I'm afraid we can't do much."

Unfortunately, that was too cruelly true. Mia did have another chance; that was the case she was supposed to take, one that involved poisoning that seemed to connect Dahlia in some way, but now that chance was gone as quickly as it came.

After thinking something similar in effect, it just now occurred to Mia that Dahlia most likely commanded Diego to get some other attorney to take the case instead of her. Although it was frustrating, there was no way Mia could stay mad at her boyfriend now; it wasn't his fault this happened.

Curling her fingers while moving them near her lips, Mia looked to be back in a 'thinking-mode' now. "…Well, at least I've figured something out with certainty now."

"What's that, kitten?"

"…Dahlia Hawthorne must have something to do with that murder, the one with poison. If she didn't, then there would have been no reason for her to get you to take that case away from me."

Diego's expression turned from a sullen one to an impressed look. It was something for Mia to put her thinking cap on, at a time like this, especially after all he's said to her that's pretty unbelievable.

…Of course, knowing doesn't help anything though. As the male attorney pointed out before, without a case, they can't do much to give that demoness what she deserves.

Mia decided to think optimistically, however. _If she tried to pry me away from the case, it must mean she thinks I have the possibility of getting her convicted! Too bad that woman underestimates me…_

Turning to look the coffee addict in his eyes, Mia grinned while wearing a determined face. "Diego, we've got work to do!"

"…Work? What's gotten into you, kitten?" He asked, obviously sounding confused by the sudden change of tone.

"Even if I lost the chance to take the case, we can still look into it, and find out information. We should pay the attorney who did get it a visit!"

As Mia was about to walk by the door, her eyes met Diego's once more. The expression of hers was softer this time. "…Also, try to lighten up, would you? I won't let Ms. Hawthorne do anything to you."

"H-Hold it! You make it sound like I need—"

Before he could blurt anything else out, Mia closed the door, telling him 'see you tomorrow'. Diego let out a tiny breath of air, scratching the back of his head. He wanted to be the one to protect Mia, but here they are now, Mia protecting _him_.

It was something Diego hadn't anticipated, and he didn't want to happen; Mia shouldn't have to 'protect' him.

* * *

Once Mia arrived back home, she soon found out Maya was fast asleep. Mia just now noticed the time, which was 10:49. Things went by pretty quick at Diego's, she supposed.

On the way home, the brunette had called her boss, Mr. Grossberg, to find out who the attorney is. Without knowing that, there's not much she could do. She was informed that the name of the defense is Robert Hammond.

_Hammond_... the name rang a bell for a Mia, but why? He was a fairly well-known attorney, but his reputation wasn't the best. It was still a shock to find out it was him who took the case. It looked like tomorrow Mia and Diego would be paying this man a visit. Maybe then she'd also find out why the guy seems oddly familiar.


	7. Chapter 7: Spicy Aroma

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Ace Attorney series.**

* * *

As blinding light shone through the curtains, Mia groggily got up from her bed. She yawned, looking at the clock. It read 5:30. A bit too early for the attorney who slept later than she would have liked last night.

_It was too hard sleeping though… worrying about Diego, telling him I'd 'protect' him. How would I even go about that? And then there's Mr. Hammond, who I need to meet with by today, at least._

She lightly sighed, and decided to get dressed in a quick manner. After doing so, she left her apartment, leaving Maya a note telling her she'd be gone most of the day, and hurried off to Grossberg & co Law Offices. Once she got there, Diego was out waiting by the door for her.

"Diego!" She smiled while calling out his name.

Waving at the younger attorney who was walking his way, he was relieved to see her smiling face directed towards him. It seemed like far too long since she looked at him like that.

Once next to him, Mia couldn't help but let out a yawn. "…Ugh, I'm feeling way too sleepy." She embarrassingly admitted, even though it didn't need to be said.

"Kitten, what'd you expect? Staying up so late, and then getting up so early…"

"Need I remind you that _you're_ a main part of the reason I stayed up so late?"

He didn't say anything back, just letting his charming grin remain. The younger attorney rolled her eyes, and opened the door. "I hope Mr. Grossberg is already here. Since it's so early, he might have trouble getting up and all."

Diego shrugged. "Knowing that old man, who knows."

Although the tone was almost sarcastic, it was true. Since Grossberg doesn't have a cell phone, somehow, they had to come in early to ask Mr. Grossberg about where and how to meet with Robert Hammond. Since he was the one who was originally supposed to take the case even before Mia, he should know something.

Luckily for the pair of attorneys, the older man was indeed there. "Morning, Mr. Grossberg." Mia greeted him, now standing by his desk. "Diego and I wanted to ask you something."

"Hm?" Was all the older man made a sound with, looking terribly drained.

"Do you know where Robert Hammond is going to be today? He should be investigating, and getting everything ready for the trial…"

It took a minute or two for Grossberg to give an answer, since he had to think about it, but eventually told them. Writing down a location, he informed them that Hammond should be at the crime scene today.

* * *

By car, it didn't take long for the pair to reach their destination. The crime scene was at a Law Office, which came as a surprise to Mia. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this.

"So, what's up with this case again?"

Diego's question caught Mia offguard, but she hurriedly answered him anyway. "The victim was poisoned. The side effects to it sounded like with what happened to you. Shaking, cramp pains, coughing… only real difference is that this victim died." She gulped on that last part; it was a bit too scary to think that that could have happened to Diego. Maybe it was a miracle he was here with her now.

There was no change in Diego's expression. "…If there was any doubt even from that, it's almost a certainty that witch is a part of this murder. She didn't want you on this case for nothing after all."

Unfortunately, Dahlia managed to succeed on not getting Mia on the case. That was troubling for more than one reason.

There were some police outside the building, but Mia and Diego were able to get inside, being attorneys and lying about saying they got permission from Grossberg, who was requested for the case first and all. Heading to the second floor, Mia accidentally bumped into someone.

"O-Oof! Sorry about that." She apologized, then looked up at the person. "Oh! You're… that detective, right?"

She couldn't remember his name, but recalled the bumbling, almost scruffy looking guy, in court during _that_ case.

"The name's Dick Gumshoe, pal!" He grinned, "You're that pretty attorney I saw a couple of months ago! Man, I'm glad you actually remembered me."

Diego walked up by the two, and coughed before talking. "If you don't mind, detective, we're here for business. Is Robert Hammond up there?"

Mia side glanced Diego; that tone made it fairly obvious he was feeling jealous of the way Gumshoe talked to Mia. Honestly, he could be so hopeless with that type of thing.

Gumshoe's smiled faded somewhat. "Are you two working on this case as well? Huh, well he's up these stairs and in the furthest room."

As Diego was about to walk on up, Mia stopped him by poking his shoulder. "You can go ahead and meet with Hammond. I have to ask the detective here a question or two."

He raised an eyebrow, looking almost annoyed, but listened. Once he was out of sight, Mia turned her attention back to Gumshoe.

"Could I get some information from you, Detective?"

"You can just call me 'Gumshoe', pal! But sure, since I guess telling basics can't hurt."

She smiled. "So, first thing's first… who was the victim?"

Scratching the back of his head, Gumshoe seemed to be in his thinking mode. "Er, let's see here… I believe the name was Doug Swallow. Poor guy, he was only a college student."

"I see… and the prosecutor is?"

"Winston Payne. You've probably heard of him before. Known as the 'rookie killer'."

"…Actually, no. I've never heard of him." She mundanely said back. It was a relief to hear the prosecutor wasn't going to be Edgeworth though; when she was in trial with him before, the whole court was basically tied to his finger. She had to remind herself she wasn't the attorney though, so it didn't actually matter much, she supposed.

Gumshoe looked at his watch and almost gasped. "Oh man! I have to hurry and run some papers to the precinct. Was that all, pal?"

"Oh, one more thing! Who's the defendant?"

Looking right as he was about to sprint off as quickly as possible, Gumshoe answered her in a rush. "Sorry pal, I don't know the name. A woman though, who I think goes to the University."

Soon after that, he dashed away, leaving Mia to register all of the information he told her. Walking to where Hammond and Diego should be, Mia wondered who the defendant actually was. The vague description she had gotten wasn't very fulfilling. She wanted to be able to meet this woman face to face; to see if she had nothing to do with the crime.

Before she knew it, Mia found herself right outside the door. As she slowly inched her hand towards the knob, she suddenly put that to a halt. She could sense negativity coming from the other side of the wall.

"Okay, look here. Mr. Hammond, I really couldn't care less what you think, but we need to know things about this case."

She heard Diego say that, although it was very muffled. It was lucky of her to be able to hear any of the conversation; the walls were pretty thick. Trying to lean in closer to the door to hear more, Mia's ear was right on the wood.

Hammond spoke next. "And you know what I don't care about? Having anything more to do with a 'Fey'. So if you would just exit this building right now, it would be the best for all of us."

What had he said? A 'Fey'…? The brunette wondered what he meant by that. Obvious ill will was put into the word, but she wondered why. How was he connected to her family?

"She was supposed to have this case, like it or not. It's only fair if she can get some information."

"You were the one who told me about this case, and asked for me to take it! Now I'm asking you to leave. So do that. Now. No more warnings."

The overall tone emanating from that room was getting worse and worse. Mia wondered if she should just be standing outside, listening in. Judging by what Hammond has said though, it might make things worse if she stepped in.

"Ha…! What are you going to do? Hit me?" There went Diego's smug attitude. "I knew you had a bad reputation, but to go that far would be…"

All of a sudden, Mia heard a thud. Fearing he had actually taken this to blows, she opened the door and ran into the room without thinking.

"What is going on in—" Her flustered face soon went to confusion. "—here?"

Diego and Hammond were both just standing there, fairly far apart from one another. Hammond seemed pretty calm too, but not so much on her mentor's part, since he looked as angry as a bothered lion, but neither looked as if they were hit.

Glancing downward, Mia saw shattered glass, soon to be revealed as a broken vase.

"I'm sorry about that." Hammond walked over to the glass, and began to try and carefully gather it all. "While Mr. Armando and I were speaking, I was still having a look around and carelessly knocked this vase."

"O-Oh, I see." She muttered, embarrassed she barged in here then. _Stupid Diego, making me worry over him like that when it was nothing._

Compared to the fuming look Diego had mere seconds ago, he appeared to have calmed down considerably. He casually walked closer to Mia, and pulled her away for a moment.

He began to whisper near her ear. "Kitten, I think you should go for the time being until I get everything taken care of."

She pulled away slightly, causing more distance. "Because I'm a Fey? Well so what! If he has a problem with my bloodline, that's his problem. I have business here."

"He's not a very reasonable guy. I don't want him to do anything to tarnish your reputation."

Mia's stare made it look she was being understanding, but moments later, she gently shoved Diego out of the way and walked right near Hammond.

"Hello, Mr. Hammond. I don't believe we've properly introduced ourselves." She gave a tiny smile, as her eyes narrowed. "…I'm a defense attorney as well. Mia Fey."

As expected, Hammond's eyes grew darker, as he came to look annoyed. "Not terribly surprising. You are wearing a magatama on you."

"Mia—!" Diego ran over, sighing soon after shouting that. His pupil could be quite the handful when she wanted to be.

"…What's your problem with the Fey family? I overheard you and Dieg—Mr. Armando's conversation before, and…"

"...I'm sure you've heard of the Dl-6 incident. Your mother, the spirit medium who was to call out the victim's spirit and tell us who the murderer was…" He paused, resting a hand on the nearby desk. "…what a sham she was. 'Spirit medium'? As if. Because of that joke I had to take Yanni Yogi's case, and come up with the ridiculous claim that he was 'insane', and couldn't think clearly at that time."

Diego stepped up. "You won the trial though, didn't you?"

Hammond nodded, an indecipherable expression covering his face. "Of course. Although I became quite the well-known attorney after that, the reputation I also earned wasn't preferable by any means."

"You chose your own way to win that case. You have no right to insult my mother or the Fey family!" Mia shouted, stomping her foot on the floor.

It was as if both Mia and Hammond were sending daggers at one another through their glares. As a fellow attorney and Mia's mentor, Diego figured he had no choice but to intervene, even if Mia wouldn't like it.

"Now, now. We didn't come here to start a fight, Mr. Hammond. I tried asking politely once, and I'll try it again; would you please allow us to investigate and obtain information regarding this case as well?"

"Diego—!" Mia's glare was now focused on Diego, but he didn't look over at her to see it.

Hammond shook his head with a smug, grin. "Oh, _now_ you're trying to be nice? Too late to act mature, young man. Before she set foot in here you were being quite aggressive yourself."

Diego quietly sighed before going near the door, pulling Mia with him. "Excuse us for a moment."

Slowly shutting the door behind them, Mia's eyes fixated on the ground. The older attorney forced a smile, to try and lighten the atmosphere.

"Well, this hasn't been going well, has it?"

Most likely a foolish remark to make, especially now. Mia side-glanced him. "What an understatement." She let out a breath of air while leaning against the wall. "Talk about an exhausting guy… I can see why he has that bad reputation now. He doesn't care one bit for his clients and maybe not even other people in general."

Diego paused before speaking again. "I've talked with him before. Up until this point, he's been a pretty generous man, but… I guess that was all a façade. It all stopped once I told him I was your mentor."

"I figured as much." She mundanely stated in response. "…Oh yeah, why were you so angry before I walked in? I overheard a little, but…"

"He… well, simply had no right to insult you. Someone he'd never even met." Diego replied quickly.

Mia's expression softened once hearing that. She wasn't sure if he was being caring or just doing what a person should in the situation, not that it particularly mattered either way. "That man really needs to learn my mother was not at fault, and the Fey family wasn't either."

"Want to go back in and try again? Probably useless though." Diego shrugged.

Mia shook her head while placing her hand on the doorknob. "No, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get the information I need. It's about more than my family's past…"

Once back inside the room, Hammond didn't even look their way as he appeared busy looking through some files.

"Mr. Hammond, mind if we look through this room as well?"

"…Are you two still at it? Look, you'd best leave me alone before I get angry." He scoffed, closing the file's case.

_You sound angry as it is._ Mia thought, trying to not roll her eyes. "Your whole reason for not allowing us to is entirely flawed! I'm not my mother, and it doesn't matter if I'm a Fey! Got that?"

Hammond sat down on a nearby chair, looking exasperated. "You fail to understand."

Mia raised an eyebrow at the man. "_What_ don't I understand? It's you who doesn't—"

He interrupted her. "Get your attorney friend over there to leave. Speaking when he's around isn't an option."

Get Diego to leave? Why couldn't he speak while he's around? The brunette didn't understand, but since this was progress of some sort, she complied.

"Uh, Diego? Could you leave for a little?" She awkwardly asked.

"What? I don't get why he can't just—" Diego stopped, staring into Mia's eyes. She had such determination in them, he just couldn't bring it in him to refuse. Defeated, he left the room.

Mia went to take a seat in front of Hammond, turning her attention back at him now. "So, then… explain to me what I don't get." _And why couldn't Diego just stay?_

He took a deep breath before speaking. "…Mr. Grossberg told me you've been chasing Redd White's tracks, even though you're a mere rookie."

"…!" The mention of the name 'Redd White' caught Mia off guard. She hadn't expected the conversation to be about this. "…Yes, I am. What about it?"

"Then I'm sure you know about that man's tactics. He uses blackmail and can control even courts."

Judging by his tone, Mia could infer what this was all leading to… and she wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Yes, he was a part of that incident. 'Dl-6'. Since I was Yanni Yogi's attorney, Redd White decided to use blackmail on me as well."

Mia loudly slammed her hands on the table in front of them, not caring if anyone heard. "That doesn't make any sense! You're one of the reasons my mother was called a fraud, because Yanni Yogi was found innocent!"

"You really should be more patient." Hammond irritably muttered, annoyed by the noise she was making.

Slumping back in her seat with arms crossed, Mia couldn't bother hiding the scowl on her face. The same could be said for Hammond as well though.

He decided to continue. "…Yes, I got Yanni Yogi innocent. Word got out about the use of a spirit medium, and of course Redd White was on that right away. Since I was the attorney, he offered me money, and to make me a famous attorney… foolish young me agreed. Little did I know he was tricking me."

"Tricking? I know he's all for blackmail and other dirty means, but what could he have possibly done?"

"Such a bad habit of interrupting." He sighed, shortly after continuing, "You know Redd White is a clever, stealthy man… he has his ways of obtaining information."

_All too well_, was what came to Mia's mind, her having the restraint to actually not interrupt for once.

"Everyone connected to that case gave Redd White more information on themselves I'm sure. Myself more so… because of yours and my very own boss, Marvin Grossberg."

"…Mr. Grossberg? What does he have to do with this!?" Mia stood up now, confused more than ever. She was completely lost on what he was saying.

Hammond got up, looking ready to be finished with the topic, and Mia herself. "So you do not know? Oh well, it's not my place to tell you. At any rate, if that case had not happened, I would not be underneath Redd White's thumb. He controls courts, attorneys, and prosecutors anyway, but it's even worse when he has an upperhand on an individual."

Mia shook her head. "You still shouldn't blame my mother for that! You weren't the only one who got some bite from that case. My mother— Misty Fey, had to leave the village because of being called nothing but a fraud."

"…So? You fail to understand that is not my problem." He went to go by the door. "I'm an attorney who only thinks of his own benefit. If you want to get your name out there, you'd best do the same."

And so he left. Just like that, without even investigating the crime scene any longer. Before Mia could also leave the room, Diego walked in.

"What happened? The old man just came out the door and left, saying nothing."

"…Nothing really. In the end, I got nowhere." Mia sighed, crossing her arms. "What's done is done. Now that no one is here, we can try to investigate."

As the two began to search through every nook and cranny inside the room, unsure what they were expecting to find, Mia's mind kept recalling all of what was just told to her.

Robert Hammond was the attorney for Yanni Yogi, which she was already fully aware of. Redd White decided to "control" all of those who were involved in the court for that case. Of course including the attorney, and also assumed, the prosecutor as well. Due to Hammond agreeing to take money that was offered, and Redd White telling him he'd make him famous, that man now has dirt on him. Grossberg is also apparently involved in this, although Mia has no idea really how.

Mia glanced over at Diego, wondering if she should tell him any of what was discussed. Sure, she trusted him, but this was about Redd White. Knowing him, he'd charge himself into danger, trying to take on that man as well.

"Hey, kitten!"

His voice made Mia almost jump from surprise, it was so sudden. "Wh-What?"

"I found something. It looks like some kind of white liquid… see, on the coffee table there." Diego informed her while pointing towards said spot.

Leaning closer to get a better look, Mia now noticed it too. "It's so small, I didn't see it at first. What should we do?"

"Nothing. We only came to look around, and we're not even on this case officially. Hammond should be able to find it on his own, being such a big shot."

Well, that was true, she supposed. It seemed odd to just leave whatever it was right after finding it though.

"In a way this was all kind of pointless..." Mia took a step forward, placing a hand on her hip. "…Anyway, I think I'm going to go and meet with the defendant."

"That so? I'll hang around here some more. Maybe try to talk with the old man again."

Mia clenched her fist, while eyes narrowed. That guy was but a person who shifted blame onto others, not once blaming himself. Thinking of it made her angry, but now was no time to be emotional. If Diego wanted to try, no matter how pointless it may turn out to be, she wasn't going to stop him.

"Good luck with that. Well, see you later then." She waved, smiling.

* * *

With the permission, Mia was outside the door of where the defendant was being held. After gathering the questions she planned to ask while being there, she hesitantly grabbed the doorknob and led herself in.

Once inside, she couldn't hide the look of confusion mixed with surprise on her face. The defendant was someone whose appearance was just like Dahlia Hawthorne, except with black hair and eyes that looked as dark as the midnight sky.

This couldn't be Dahlia, right…? Mia knew there was likely little chance for this to be Dahlia, and even if she wasn't sure, she was about to find out.


End file.
